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Regarding 'over-manning' (over-personning?) ships, all three ships that sailed for the Gulf War in 1990 had their ship's company increased by about 25% to include all the people required. I know we carried an expanded medical team and a lawyer but I don't know remember who else got added (some...

I don't think the government will grow the budget to match DND's requirements. DND will shrink their requirements to match the budget. I think that is partly what this is about. Submarines, military colleges, etc should all be nervous.

and situations where wearing personal protective equipment and clothing is deemed essential for the safety of the worker (flight crews onboard aircraft, ships staff working in engine rooms, aircraft maintainers working in hangars, vehicle technicians working in repair shops, etc.).

I might have said 'an institution that cares about safety would take that in to consideration'. As a former MSEO who has also worked at construction and oil & gas sites, personal protective equipment and clothing (PPE&C) is the baseline for what is to be worn on a site. At oil & gas...

I view the monarchy like an antique given to me by my grandparents that sits in a corner of my den. It doesn't really do anything but it isn't really offensive. It doesn't match the decor in my house but it does remind me of my grandparents. I would throw it out but the effort to do that...

I am not defending $200/plate lunches but I might speculate some of that cost is driven by government specifications and requirements for that lunch. Let's suppose the government insists that the kitchen that prepares the lunch has to meet the highest quality and cleanliness standards that...

Henry Mintzberg was saying the same thing 30 years ago. I think he said something like "MBA schools are teaching the wrong things to the wrong people at the wrong stages of their lives".

Although big compared to frigates, in shipbuilding 20,000 tons is not 'behemoth'. HMCS Protecteur was that size. HMCS Bonaventure was about that size (16,000 tons). US Navy ships that move around marines are about that size (16,000 tons). The big WWII battlecruisers were about 40,000 tons...

My (very limited and outdated) experience is that 80% of mess events are attended by the same 20% of eligible participants. Is that still true?

A billion years ago Venture (Naval Officer Training Centre) promulgated a document called 'Neptune's Notes' that promised to instruct very junior officers in any manner of behaviour and some traditions. Recognized (even at the time) as misogynistic, anachronistic and just plain bad, you can...

As an aside, I once sent a note to a career manager carefully documenting my calculation for obligatory service. Fully referenced with dates, etc. The career manager came back and said 'no, the answer is X' with X being about 4 months longer than I had calculated. The CM provided no...

I suspect a few old boys from the RMC 'old boys club' will be having heart attacks when seeing 'gentlemen cadets' on parade in compliance with the new regulations.

It was good enough for Nelson's Navy to keep the crew in the dark. The struggle here is against history and tradition with perhaps some 'classism'. Bravo to those who are working to keep everyone well informed.

So back in my day, junior MARS / NWO were encouraged to be visible everywhere. But the CO and XO (and any visiting admirals) were rarely if ever seen beyond their cabin, bridge and ops room. The the MARS / NWO were (following the example set) reluctant go go below the weather deck. (And I...

As the Assistant Marine Systems Engineering Officer I once found myself in the Machinery Control Room at 2:00 am and not much was going on (operationally) and the ship was just steaming along (enroute to Bermuda from Halifax, as I recall). I was chatting with the on-watch engineering crew and...

I have read some references to a "CAF Reconstituting Plan" promulgated by the CDS. That plan may address some of the concerns in this thread. Apparently the plan's focus is: prioritizing effort and resources on people, rebuilding strength while making necessary changes to CAF culture on...

Congratulations and best wishes for success!

I suggest the OP read up on Gulf War I (1990-1991). Specifically, the (approximately) 30 day interval between the announcement that three ships would deploy to the Gulf and the actual departure date. For those that were there, they were a mad and crazy 30 days.

Thank you G2G I was unaware of the back story to that photo. So just to be clear: (1) politicians should visit military bases to learn more about DND and (2) politicians should not visit military bases because they will be made to look foolish.

CBH99 makes some good points about politicians. I think one additional reason politicians don't like to visit military facilities is the fear of looking silly. Remember this? (Not to slag Mr Chretien, but just to point out that when you get into something you don't know anything about, it...